Theme Of Evil In The Tempest

In most great literary works, there are characters who are described as, “evil.” This "evil" character may be evil for different reasons. In some stories, the character is evil because he or she has done something wrong or bad intentionally. In other stories, the character may be considered evil because he or she is not a "normal" human being, and therefore, he or she is automatically viewed by the reader, as well as the other characters in the book, as evil. In William Shakespeare 's story, The Tempest, the "evil" character is named, Caliban. Why Caliban is evil is the subject of debate among critics, and this paper.

One critic in particular, Stephen Greenblatt, who is considered an expert on the literary works of Shakespeare, believes

The primary example is that; Caliban is from a faraway island. He was not raised with other human beings. He grew up alone. The character, Prospero, and his friends just happen to stumble across Caliban when they are shipwrecked on Caliban 's island. Knowing Caliban 's background and the fact that he was indigenous to a remote island is key to analyzing the evilness of his character.

Greenblatt argues that it is crucial “to have culture for in-depth reading” (Greenblatt 115.) In other words, it is important to have background knowledge of all characters so we are able to understand why they do things the way they do. In addition, he believes that if one analyzes literature, it may enhance our understanding because it demonstrates the relationship between literature and culture and culture “deepens pleasure” for the reader (Greenblatt 110.) Many of Greenblatt’s arguments are proven to be correct in The

In one scene in particular, Caliban talks about the island: “I’ll show thee the best springs; I’ll pluck thee berries; I’ll fish for thee, and get thee wood enough” says Caliban, explaining to Trinculo and Stephano that he knows so much about the island because it is his home (2.2.155-156.) He tells them that he can show them the entire island and all that it has to offer. He is incredibly passionate about the island. He has a deep connection to it because it is where he was raised. He has feelings for it.

Prior to him explaining his feelings about the island, Trinculo was discriminating Caliban. He described his smell as “a very ancient and fishlike smell” (2.2.25.) Trinculo does not believe that Caliban is a “normal” human being. In other words, he is discriminating Caliban because he does not look or in this sense smell like a normal individual so, he automatically considers Caliban as a monster without getting to know